According to an earlier development, a game apparatus conventionally generates game images for a television or a monitor (it will be typically called TV, in the following) in an aspect ratio of four to three (through the present specification, a screen in the aspect ratio of four to three will be called a normal screen).
However, the screen represented by a HDTV (High Definition Television) or an EDTV (Extended Definition Television), through which television programs are broadcasted, has the aspect ratio of sixteen to nine (the screen in the aspect ratio of sixteen to nine will be called a wide screen, in the following). Therefore, in case players enjoy playing a game with a conventional game apparatus and the TV with the wide screen, connected to the game apparatus, because the image of the normal screen is displayed on the wide screen, the image which is laterally enlarged (or which is longitudinally reduced) and distorted, is displayed.
Accordingly, at present wherein the television broadcast is changing to that for the HDTV or the EDTV, in further it is anticipated that the demand of the TV with the normal screen decreases. As a result, it is necessary that the game apparatus generates and outputs game images corresponding to the wide screen.
Further, at present wherein the TV with the normal screen and the TV with the wide screen coexist, it is desired that the game apparatus generates and outputs game images corresponding to the normal screen as well as game image corresponding to the wide screen.
It is an object of the present invention to provide a game apparatus and so on, corresponding to the normal screen and the wide screen.